My Iron Lung [EP]

Radiohead | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 8, 1998)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: EP
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B000007361
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,990 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #54 in Music > Alternative Rock > British Alternative > General
  • #85 in Music > Imports > Alternative Rock

Track Listings

1. My Iron Lung

2. The Trickster

3. Lewis (Mistreated)

4. Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong

5. Permanent Daylight

6. Lozenge Of Love

7. You Never Wash Up After Yourself

8. Creep (Acoustic)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

When exactly Radiohead transformed themselves from an average alterna-rock band into an avant-garde juggernaut is difficult to pinpoint, but in terms of recording, they took the great leap forward somewhere around the time of their second album, The Bends. While their debut, Pablo Honey, had a few sharp hooks, there was nothing to predict the avalanche of ideas that made The Bends one of the important albums of the 1990s. This EP (which is actually longer than some bands' full albums) doesn't clarify things a bit. The acoustic version of "Creep" that ends My Iron Lung is a sensitive read, but it doesn't explain the structural leap of the title track, which sounds as if the band had relearned how to play their instruments. Most of the remaining tunes are short, quirky numbers that point up Thom Yorke's penchant for melancholy melodies. Those who treasure the art rock of OK Computer or Kid A may find these plaintive pleas for love and understanding almost too simple. --Rob O'Connor

Product Description

Radiohead Photos

More from Radiohead

OK Computer	The Bends	Kid A
Pablo Honey	Amnesiac	The Astoria London Live

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Radiohead's revolution began here......not with The Bends, June 13, 2004

By 

nico_laos "nico" (Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Iron Lung (Audio CD)

Released between 'Pablo Honey' and 'The Bends' and never released in the US, 'My Iron Lung' marks the transition from mediocre to outstanding.

I know that 22 bucks is kind of a rip-off for only eight songs, but every song presented on this unique import makes it worthwhile for any Radiohead fan....especially those partial to 'The Bends'.

'Trickster', in my opinion, is the best track here. I would have loved to have seen this song make it over to 'The Bends' along with 'My Iron Lung'. Here it is only enjoyed by Radiohead completist which isn't neccessarily a bad thing.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another quality work from Radiohead, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Iron Lung (Audio CD)

Arguably, Radiohead has had the greatest evolution of any band in music history. They went from Alternative Ordinaries to something much more. It is hard to pinpoint when this change began, but many think there is evidence in this album. Indeed, this collection of B-sides from The Bends and possibly OK Computer represents something greater than the average alternative rock album. From the opening track, you are mesmerised by Radiohead's unique style and performance. "My Iron Lung" is the CD's opener (for obvious reasons) and features a great melody, interesting vocals, and an amazing guitar riff. You haven't heard a rock song until you've heard this one. "The Trickster" is a moderately paced interesting little tune with a great build up to the chorus especially. "Lewis [mistreated]" is a great story about a bad day with some quick guitar/drum work and a simple but elegant melody. "Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong" is perhaps Radiohead's best attempt at a true love song. Though it doesn't necessarily serve the purpose of a mainstream love song well (sounds too "spacey"), it is beautiful in its own unique sense. "Permanent Daylight" is a hauntingly intense, short little song. It features some simple chord progressions, but it sounds so amazing when heard in that classic Radiohead style with electric guitars special sound mixing effects that you will not care it's only two minutes long. Two minutes of music nirvana. "Lozenge of Love" and "You Never Wash Up After Yourself" are short, beautiful songs with especially good accompaniment and vocals. Finally, the CD closes with a great acoustic version of "Creep". It sounds better in some ways than the original, but suffers in other areas. Vocals are much clearer and guitar work is more refined, but some bad editing will detract from the experience. The first chorus is apparently censored (?) and Thom's very in "very special" sounds very unnatural and froglike, too low in pitch. It's just a minor blemish, however, in an otherwise perfect CD. In my sole opinion Radiohead is the greatest band ever.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is where Radiohead first proves they're a fantastic band., April 21, 2007

By 

Mike London "MAC" (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: My Iron Lung (Audio CD)

Although Radiohead's monster single, Creep, was tearing up the charts in the early 1990s, the album from which it was taken, PABLO HONEY, was an average album from what appeared to be an average band. Like so many other bands with a couple of hits under their belt, Radiohead could have released a couple more mediocre records in the span of a few years and generally fade from public consciousness. Hootie and the Blowfish and Seven Mary 3 are good examples of this phenomena. I actually wrote Radiohead off and never bothered to listen to any of the followups until about 2001, when I realised there was so much more to Radiohead than just "Creep" (one of my least favorite songs by them, incidentally).

Radiohead, however, had a different career destiny in mind, and pulled it off wonderfully. Rather than continue in the PABLO HONEY vein, Radiohead managed to record a series of phenomenal records not only noted for their musical instinct, but just wonderful, amazing music. Judging from PABLO HONEY, you would have no possible inkling they would go on to record an album of such high calibre like THE BENDS, let alone OK COMPUTER. OK COMPUTER is in a whole other universe in terms of quality, critical acclaim, and rabid fan adulation compared to PABLO HONEY. Radiohead wonderfully reinvented themselves, and have become one of the most consistently interesting, thought provoking bands around these days.

So how do they do it? My personal belief is it all starts right here with this EP released in 1994, MY IRON LUNG. This EP, which is comprised of one track later released on THE BENDS in 1995, six songs recorded during the Bends sessions available nowhere else, and an acoustic rendition of their 1993 hit "Creep", is a remarkable achievement for a band who, at that time, only had the wholly unremarkable PABLO HONEY debut under their belts. In every way, shape, and form, this EP not only outshines the debut but establishes the foundation of the rest of their career. Each song is a vast increase in production skills, overall musicality, and just plain listenability over the debut. This is the first indicator that Radiohead is more than an average, early 1990s band, with only a couple of hits in them.

What really benefits MY IRON LUNG is that it plays like a real album, not just a hodgepodge of outtakes and b-sides. In fact, in sequence and length (8 songs, 28:13 minutes), this could have been released as a main album, or if they so desired, the band could have thrown on a few more tracks to make it a more substantial release.

The six songs not included on THE BENDS could just as easily placed that album. They never sound like mere B-sides. In fact, you could swap any of these songs out, making them interchangeable with the songs that made the cut, and THE BENDS would still be considered one of the best records from the mid 1990s. These songs are fully formed, and many other bands of Radiohead's era would love to have such quality songwriting to their name, and amazingly Radiohead relegates this first class material to EP status. The only real sore spot on the EP is the acoustic version of "Creep", which has a harsh off-key section. Other than that, this is Radiohead's first real evidence that they are not just an average band who managed to score a big hit, but a band of skill, durability, and worthy to be considered among the other legendary bands of rock and roll.

After recording this EP, Radiohead would go on to prove themselves time and time again. While I do believe MY IRON LUNG laid the foundation for the rest of their career, sonically it is most akin to THE BENDS. This EP proved in so many ways that their debut did not that they were versatile, they could write great songs, and they had what it takes to be a first-rate rock and roll band. Naturally, in their musical evolution Radiohead's journey lead them to such radical departures as KID A, AMNESIAC, and HAIL TO THE THIEF, all of which sound little like the music found here. But MY IRON LUNG was the first step in that direction toward the upper echelon of rock.

BOTTOM LINE:: essential listening for any rock fan. While it may be a fairly expensive item to obtain for your music collection, it is worth it, simply because it plays very much like a lost Radiohead album than just an EP filled with odds and ends. While PABLO HONEY may have been their first record with a couple of good songs, MY IRON LUNG was the first indication that Radiohead was here to stay, and a band with far more interesting music than most of the other drek being recorded these days.

(There are different editions of MY IRON LUNG. Some releases split the songs into two singles. Make sure you get the version that has all 8 tracks. Otherwise, you are just wasting your money).